My husband was diagnosed with TN early this year, after about a 6 month circle of various Drs. Initially, he had success with Neurontin and was able to go back to work (Pain was so bad for months without relief until he was diagnosed, so he couldnt work). He had been back to work since February and doing well on the meds. Then, about a month ago, the pain came back and was again unbearable. He is home again, and was stated on Tegretol, but his pain is not at all well managed. We saw the Neurosurgeon again and this time he is recommending MVD surgery, but did say my husband can opt for the Rhyzotomy instead if he is leary of the risks involved with MVD.
Of course we are going to speak to surgeon again, but some questions have popped up that we didnt think about when initially having discussion with the surgeon. They are: What is the incidence of recurrance and percentage of pain relief for MVD vs. Rhyzotomy. What if he has MVD and it stops working after awhile, can he have another MVD? If you have a Rhyzotomy first, then the pain comes back and you have the MVD, is is less likely to be helpful?
I wonder if any of you can help with that or just give your personal experiences on the above.
Hi Weeza,
I see you are in NY. I had both my MVD surgeries ( right and left side ) with Dr. Jeffrey Brown in Great Neck. His practice is primarily focused on TN. I would see about consulting with him to help make your decision. I have been pain and med free since my surgeries !
Best of luck
Christine
I second all that Kimberly (KC Dancer) has said. Dr. Casey also performed my surgery almost 10 months ago and I am pain free and med free. I struggled with the meds and pain for just over 9 months. After very extensive research, I decided on the MVD. Then I searched for my surgeon. I consulted with 3 neurosurgeons and Dr. Casey was who I chose, easily. My advice is find the best surgeon (there are a handful of them) to perform the surgery as this will minimize the risks and produce a better outcome.
THANK YOU for the replys!! My husband has decided to go with the MVD, His Dr is Michael Brisman, whihc is Dr Jeffrey Browns partner in the same center. They do specialize in TN, which I really feel good about. I do understand there is a high success rate, but my concern was more with the longevity of the surgery vs the Rhyzotomy. However, after doing research and speaking to the surgeon again, we think the best chance my husband has to live pain free is through the MVD. This is his second bout with the pain. The first time, neurontin did the trick. This time, with 1200 mg of tegretol, he is barely hanging on. He has gone thru days without eating, barely able to eat a bit of clear soup and water. Last time he wassick. he lost 35 lbs. He just recently finally put his weight back on, and now he is losing again. He needs this surgery so bad! We will get final date on Monday, but it looks like he will be having surgery in a week or 10 days tops. He is scared, as am I, but his pain and suffering is far outweighing any fear we have.
Thanks! He already has been going to Dr DiMancescu who is the senior partner there but he no longer does surgeries, just consults and meds pre surgical candidate. Once you are a surgical candidate he refers you to the "surgeons". We saw Dr Michael Brisman on Wed and he recommended MVD but I didnt think my husband would want the surgery. He offered the less invasive Rhyzotomy. We went home to think about it and after formulating our questions concerns, I called and spoke to Dr Brisman again. We got the clarification, and he decided to go with MVD. We are waiting to hear back from the office on MOnday for a definitive date of surgery, but it looks like he will have it done after clearances, on Friday or following MOnday. I pray the attacks stay away forever, but know sometimes they dont. I wonder if there is anyone on this site that has MVD surgery 7+ yrs ago and is still symptom free. I hate to think he is going thru this surgery to then have these symptoms all over again 5 yrs from now. Worried about the future... :(